Dispensing faucet



Patented Oct. .4,1938

'Rapids Equipment Co. j; Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a corporation oi.'

mesne assignments,

Iowa.

Application June 1s, 1931, serial No. 148,813

' 1 claims (ci. zas-5lj vMy invention relates to 4flow controlling faucets, lmoreparticul-arly to quick-acting beverage-l dispensing faucets, and. has for an object the provision o1 a simple, reliable and inexpensive device 5 of this character. Various types oi' faucets'have heretofore been provided for dispensing beverages under pressure. such, for example, as beer or other beverages containing dissolved gases. In order to provide eili- 10 cient delivery of the beverage without waste -'thereof, the faucet must include quick opening and tight sealingI valve means so as to obtain prompt supply of the beverage when the faucet is operated, and at the same time prevent drip- 15. pingandowaste upon closure of the faucet. Furthermore, when dispensing-beer it is important that a free, full ilow of the beverage 'be obtained in order to prevent formation of excess foam, as

is likely to occur if the beer is-undulyagitated.' 20 Some diiiiculty has heretofore been encountered with beer dispensing faucets due to the fact that at the instant of closure of the valvemeans, which valve means are usually located a considerable distance from the discharge end of the 2. faucet, va quantity of beer is trapped in the discharge passageway of the faucet between the end lthereof and the valve means.- Since thi's'entrapped bee'i after closure of the valve means is contained in la tightly sealed passageway which ls open only at the bottom, theentrapped beer can flow out of the faucet" only lif suilicient air bubbles upwardly through the beer to preventthe 1 formatlonof a vacuum at the upper4 end.I of the tightly sealed passageway. Entrance of air intov the beer-filledA passageway in thisv manner of course causes considerable disturbance of the beer and alsocauses the beer to issue from the open end of the faucet in anunsteady or Jerky stream o so' as to disturb the beer in the glass and cause' m. additional excess foam. j A w 4 Somethingy is yetto vbe desired. therefore, i

quick-acting beer-dispensing faucets of this character.- and it is accordingly a further object of .my invention -to provide a' liiulck-acting-f beer@- dispensing 'faucet having' vent means for admit-- a ting air to th'edlspensing 'passageway of the -f'au- .cet jadiacentthe 'outlet side of the valve means so-asto prevent air locks in the faucet after clo- -,sure,of thevalve. 1

w Itis a'. s'till further objectvoi' my invention to inglin'eans-for closingthe vent Imeansprior to rvoperai'ng-olfathe` Valve means so as to prevent leaky age of the beverage'through the vent means. the W u' operating meansbelnl to .0116!! Vent vide a lost-metio@ Hammer lastra, e@ arrned t0 Connect y etmosnhereatmiat rama ing VApasintgewairfand. thelfiost motion connection -with the valve. streinfgprovidese:forfqclosureA offlthe o e vent means bythereclprocable xriemberf,priorftoi;

provides faucet of this character" having operate e l we me neans immediately.v upon nor after` closureof the valve means. y

In carryingv out myA invention rinlonefform, L; provide a quick-acting:beverage-dispensing fauvcet including beverage .supply ,means, beverage l outlet means, and valve lmeansbe'tweenthe supply and outletv meansufor controlling lthe now of beverage` therethrough'. e Adjacent @the` valve-v means I provide vent meanscommunicating with the outlet means for preventing anr a'irlock upon 10 closure of the valve means, andmeans are provided for operating the valve means and for effecting closure of the ventlmeansfprior to open-` ing of the valve means'andfor-effeetingopening of the vent means immediately upon closure of 16 the valve means. v v y,

More specically, myzimproved dispensing faucet comprises a head ,having-a pairof intersecting passageways one of winch-.constitutes abeveragedispensingpassagewa'y..andja connectlngmem- 20 ber having a supplyhpassagewayffor connecting the dispensing passageway to., asupplynof beverage vunder pressure.-.Means are.p'ro vided' for tightly sealing the `cmlxjieetins, :member: te .the head, which means malade afseelisawshewnd 26 a valve head is disposedin hesupplyfpassageway arranged normallylto beheldcln sealing engagement with-the washer byuthep" ssure of .the beverage, the valve head and-t washer thereby providing valve meansforco trolling the flown of bev- 30 erage through the 4lilspefsl4 tending outwardly fro t the aperture in the w u and a reciprocable the other oftheiitersec faucet --head is Provided ably supporting' 'l e lv shoulder'meausoH for operating th "gez,

ciprocableumembe longitudine-limp L, 4 .l

opening-innevate meansiaudmrvopemngmf 5d tto'blov a Ind Fig. 1 is a plan view of a quick-acting dispensing faucet embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, certain parts being shown`in elevation more clearly to illustrate the constructional details; and

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. j

Referring now to the drawing, I have shown my invention as applied to a dispensingv faucet comprising a cast head I0 .having a pair of intersecting passageways II and I2 therein, the passageway II constituting a beverage dispensing passageway provided with a discharge opening at its lower end, and the passageway I2 constituting a guide-bearing for a reciprocable member I3, the function and operation of which will be more fully described hereinafter. In addition, the dispensing faucet includes a connecting member I4`having a supply passageway therethrough which includes a restricted portion I5 and an enlarged portion I6 adjacent one end thereof. In order to tightly seal the connecting member I4 to the head I0, the connecting member I4 is provided with an outwardlyl extending flange I'I arranged to be engaged by a sealing nut I8 which is internally threaded cooperatively to engage a threaded portion I9 of the head I0, and a sealing washer 2li, preferably formed of rubber or similar material, is arranged between the sealing member I4 and the head I0 so as to be tightly clamped therebetweentwhen the sealing nut I8 is tightened. Adjacent its other end the connecting member I4 is internally threaded, as shown, cooperatively to engage a beverage line or pipe 2i which extends from a suitable source of -beverage maintained under pressure so as to supply beverage to the dispensing passageway Il.

In order to properly control the flow of beverage through the dispensing pasasgeway I I, I provide a spherical valve head or ball valve 22 which is disposed in the enlarged portion I6 of the supply passageway and arranged normally to be held in sealing engagement with the sealing washer 20 by the pressure of the beverage in the supplyI passageway. This valve head 22 is hollow, as shown in Fig. 2, and is internally threaded for cooperative engagement with a hollow tubular valve stem 23 which extends through the aperture in the washer 20 into, the upper end of the dispensing. p'assageway Il.' As shown, the tubular valve stern 23 surrounds and is slidably supported on a rod 24 which constitutes an extending portion of the reciprocable member I3, the rod 24 and the reciprocable member I3 preferably being threadedly connected, as shown. to facilitate assembly of the parts I3, 22. 23, and 24 vin the passageways of the head Ig. The outermost end of the rod 24 extends into the hollow space within the valve head 22. as shownfand is provided with a flange 25 which constitutes a shoulder for abuttingly engaging the adjacent end of the tubular valve stem 23, and the end of the reciprocable member I3 from which the rod 24 extends constitutes a second shoulder 23 forV abuttingly engaging theopposite end of the tubular valve stem 23, the shoulders 23 and `23 being spaced apart a distance somewhat greater than the length of the tubular stem l23 so as to provide a4 lost-motion connection between the reciprocable member I3 and the valve-head 22.

Extending through the upper portion of the head III I provide a pair of apertures 21 which intersect the passageway I2 adjacent its intersection with the dispensing passageway II, so as to constitute vent means for connecting the dispensing passageway II to atmosphere. As will be apparent upon inspection of Fig. 2, the 1ongitudinal movement of the reciprocable member I3 in the passageway I2 controls the vent passageways 21, the inner end of the member I3 moving across the passageways 21 so as to close and open the same.

Adjacent its outer end the reciprocable member I3 is provided with a slot 28 for receiving a pin 29 carried by an operating handle 30, and this handle 30 is pivotally supported on a pin 3I carried by an ear 32 extending outwardly from the head I0. Preferably, the handle 30 is provided with a slot adjacent its lower end for receiving the supporting ear 32 and the outermost end of the reciprocable member I3.

Having in mind the constructional details thus far described, it is believed that a complete understanding of my invention may now'be had from a description of the operation. In Fig. 2,

the valve head 22 ls shown vin its closed position, which corresponds to the position of the handle 30 shown in heavy lines, and it will be observedl that in this position of the valve head 22 and the handle 30 the vent passageways 21 are open so as to connect the dispensing passageway II to atmosphere adjacent its upper end at a point remote from its lower discharge end. In order to open the valve means so as to draw beverage from the faucet, it is necessary only to move the upper end of the handle 30 in a clockwise direction about its pivot 3| from the heavy line position shown. As the operating handle 30 is moved in this direction the reciprocable member I3 is of course moved in a left-hand direction alongl the guide-bearing passageway I2, and when the handle 30 reaches the position shown in broken lines, the reciprocable member I3 and its extending rod 24 occupy the respective positions shown in broken lines, and it will be observed that the movement thus far obtained is not effective to open the valve means. It will likewise be observed, however, that movement of the reciprocable member I3 to the position indicated by the broken lines is effective to close the vent passageways 21 so as to prevent leakage of beverage therethrough when the valve does open. Further movement of the operating handle 30 in a clockwise direction about its pivot is now effective to move the valve stem 23 and the valve 22 in a left-hand direction so as to open the valve and permit the flow of beverage into the dispensing passageway II from the supply passageway Il, this movement of the valve head 22 being ac- .complished by the abutting engagement of the shoulder 26.0n the reciprocable Vmember I3 with the adjacent end of the tubular valve stem 24. In order to limit positively the opening movement of the handle 30 and the valve head 22, the guide passageway I2 is provided with an inwardly extending shoulder 33 for abuttingly engaging the shoulder 23 on the reciprocable member I3. This shoulder 33, which forms a restricted portion in the passageway I2, as shown, and whichy serves to guide andsupport the outermost end of thetubular valve stem 23, is cut-away adjacent the bottom of the passageway as shown best in Fig. 3, the cut-away portion being indicated by the reference numeral 34. The purpose of this cut-away portion 34 is to prevent the entrapment of beer behind the shoulder 33 thereby to eliminate any tendency of entrapped beer to be forced between the reciprocable member I3 and the wall oi' the passageway I2 during movement'of the member I3.

It will thus be seen thatthe operating means for my improved faucet is arranged to close the vent means 21 before the valve means comprising the washer and the valve head 22, is opened.

In order now to close the valve means, it is necessary only to move the upper end of the handle in the opposite or counter-clockwise direction back toward the heavyline position shown, and

it will be apparent that the pressure of the beverage on the valve head 22 may be such as to cause the valve head to follow the reciprocable member I3 and the rod 24 so that when these members reach the dotted line positions shown,

, the valve head 22 may againoccupy the lclosed position, shown, in sealing engagement with the washerv 20. If, however, the pressures on the opposite sides of the valve head 22 are'such that the valve head does not follow the rod 24 and the reciprocable member I3, the flange 2.5 on the rod 24 abuttingly engages the inner end of the valve stem 23 so that further movement of the operating handle 30 from the broken line position to the full line position positively operates the valve' head 22 to its closed position. 4This further movement of the handle 30 of course effects movement of the reciprocable member I3 and the-rod 24 to the respective full line positions shown, so as immediately to open the vent passageways 21 the flange or shoulder 25 on the rod 24 and the end of the valve stem 23 providing a positive stop .for limiting the closing movement` of the handle It will thus be apparent that closure of the valve means and opening of the .ventpassageways 21 are accomplished substantially simultaneously to connect the upper portion of the dispensing passageway II to atmosphere, and thus provide for the'free flow from the dispensing passageway I I of the beer entrapped therein upon closure of the valve means. Even when the pressures on the valve head 22 are such as to effect closure of the valve means when the handle 30 reaches the broken line position, as indicated above, the movement of the handle ordinarily takes place so quickly that the immediately subsequent opening of the vent means is substantially simultaneous with the closure of the valve means.

While I have shown particular embodiments of myinvention, it will be understood, of course, that I donot wish to be limited thereto since many modifications may be made, and I, therefore, contemplate by lthe appended claimsto cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my.v invention,v what I-J claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is`:

1. A quick-acting, beverage-dispensing faucet comprising a beverage supply passageway, `a bev-` erage outlet passageway, valve means between said supply passageway and said outlet passageing outlet passageway, valve means between said l passageways movable between open. and closed positions, vent means consisting entirely of apertures in one wall of said outlet passageway for admitting air thereto, means for opening and closing said apertures, and a lost-motion connection between said last mentioned means and said valve means for opening said valve means subsequent to closure of said apertures and for effecting substantially simultaneous closure of said valve means and opening of said apertures.

3. A quick-acting, beverage-dispensing faucet comprising a supply passageway, an outlet passageway communicating with said supply passageway, valve means between said passageways including a valve head having a stem extending into said outlet passageway, vent means communicating with said outlet passageway, a reciprocable member for opening and closing said vent meansincluding an extending portion slidably engaging said stem, and cooperating spaced apart shoulders on said reciprocable member and said valve means arranged for abutting engagement upon movement of said reciprocable memb er to effect movement of said valve means between -open and closed positions, said spaced apart shoulders providing a lost-motion connection whereby said vent means is closed by said reciprocable member prior to opening of saidv valve means-and said valve means is closed substantially simultaneously vwith the opening of said vent means.

4. A quick-acting, beverage-dispensing faucet comprising a supply passageway, an outletpassag'eway communicating with said supply passageway, valve means between said passageways including a spherical valve head having a hollow stem\extending into said outlet passageway, vent means communicating with said outlet passageway adjacent said valve means, a reciprocable member including an extending portion -slidable through said hollow stem, means for operating said reciprocable .member between two positions to open and close said vent means, and

cooperating spaced apart shoulders on saidv reciprocable member. and vsaid `valve means providing a lost-motion connection therebetween for operating said valve means between open and closed positions in response to movement of said reciprocable member between said twopositions, said lost-motion connection providing for closure 4 of said vent means prior to opening ofsaid valve means and fr closure of said valve means substantially simultaneously with the opening of said vent means. l 4

5. A quick-acting, beverage-dispensing faucet comprising a head having a pair of communicating passageways one of which constitutes a dispensing passageway and the other of which .constitutes a guide bearing, vent means communicating with said guide bearing passageway adjacent the intersection of said passageways,

sageway substantially sealing the same'and movable to openand close' said vent means, a valve stem slidably supported by said reciprocable member for limited movement Iwith respect thereto, valve means controlled by said valve stem for controlling the iiow of beverage through said dispensing passageway, and means for operating said reciprocable member to open and close said vent means and said valve means,

the limited `movement between said valve stem la reciprocable member in said guide bearing pas- I 1rov and said reciprocable member providing for clov sure o f said vent means prior to opening of said valve oneansfand closure of said valve means 4 substantially simultaneously with the opening of said vent means.

6. A quick-acting. beverage-dispensing faucet comprising a head having a pair oi' communieating passageways one of which constitutes a dispensing passageway and the other ot which constitutes a guide bearing, vent means communicating with said guide bearing passagewayadjacent the intersection of said passageways, a reciprocable member 'in said guide bearing passageway substantially sealing the same and movable to open and close said vent means, said reciprocable member having a portion of reduced cross sectionextending into said dispensl ing passageway, a'hollow valve stem surrounding said reduced portion for slidable movement thereon, means for limiting the relativemoveon, valve for conment between said stem and said means in said dispensing passagewa trolling the flow oi beverage therethrough in '1. A quick-acting, beverage-dispensing faucet comprising a head having a'pair of intersecting passageways one of which constitutes Ia beverage dispensing passageway. a connecting member having a supply passageway for connecting said dispensing passageway to a supply of beverage under pressure, means for sealing said connecting member to said head including a washer, a valve head in said supply passageway. arranged normally to be held in sealing engagement with said .washer by the pressure of said beverage, said valve head and said washer providing valve means for controlling the ilow of beverage through said dispensing passageway, a valve stem extending from said valve head through the aperture in said washer, a reciprocable member slidably supported in the other of said intersecting passageways having a portion slidably supporting said valve stem, spaced apart shoulder means on said reciprocable member providing a lost-motion connection with said valve stem for operating said valve means, means for operating said reciprocable member, and vent means controlled by said reciprocable member for connecting said dispensing passageway to atmosphere at a point remote from its discharge end, said lost-motion connection providing for closure of said vent means prior to opening of,

said valve means and for opening `oi said vent means upon closure oi' said valve means.

HARRY W. RIBBLE. 

